A variety of medical approaches have been devised for reduction of acid secretion and therefore, treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), including diet, medication and surgery. In general, surgery is reserved for patients in whom conservative measures, such as monitoring eating habits or controlling acid levels with acid suppressant medications, have failed. In addition, surgery is generally reserved for patients who have severe cases of GERD and/or suffer from Barrett's esophagus, a precancerous condition linked to GERD.
Acid is one of the key fluids secreted by the gastrointestinal tract for digestion of food. Stomach acid is produced by parietal cells in the mucosal lining of the stomach. Reflux of stomach acid into the lower portion of the esophagus results in well known symptoms of GERD. A common medical strategy for treating GERD is to administer drugs which suppress the production of acid with histamine receptor antagonists or proton pump inhibitors. U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,776 to Depui, et al., for example, describes an oral pharmaceutical dosage for the suppression of stomach acid that includes proton pump inhibitors (PPI's). In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,906 to Frosch, et al. describes a histamine receptor antagonist (H2 blocker) agent to treat gastric diseases. In many cases, one of these two classes is effective in relieving symptoms of GERD. Some patients, however, do not wish to be on these GERD drugs indefinitely due to uncertain long-term effects. Additionally there are some patients who do not respond to drug treatment.
Other treatments available for GERD involve surgical techniques that strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which acts as a valve between the stomach and the esophagus. U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,326 to Harrison, et al. describes a method for inhibiting acid reflux into the esophagus by performing a gastric wrap or fundoplication surgery. Surgical interventions such as this are very invasive, and any form of surgery may involve complications. In addition, surgical procedures often require recovery time that prevents the patient from immediately returning to normal lifestyle. Another surgical technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,732 to Edwards, et al. in which the LES is tightened to block acid reflux by ablating nerves in the stomach, causing the LES to contract.
Table 1 below lists documents that disclose techniques for reduction of stomach acid secretion and treatment of GERD.
TABLE 1Patent NumberInventorsTitle5,403,326Harrison, et al.Method for performing a gastric wrap ofthe esophagus for use in the treatmentof esophageal reflux6,159,146El GazayerliMethod and apparatus for minimally-invasive fundoplication4,279,906Frosch, et al.Indomethacin-antihistaminecombination for gastric ulcerationcontrol6,183,776Depui, et al.Oral pharmaceutical dosage formscomprising a proton pump inhibitor andan antacid agent or alginate4,869,902Buehler, et al.Antacid composition6,405,732Edwards, et al.Method to treat gastric reflux via thedetection and ablation of gastro-esophageal nerves and receptors
All documents listed in Table 1 above are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their respective entireties. As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate readily upon reading the Summary of the Invention, Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments and claims set forth below, many of the devices and methods disclosed in the patents of Table 1 may be modified advantageously by using the techniques of the present invention.